


Of Heroes and Villains

by Afixxia



Category: GreedFall (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Childhood, Constantin is also small but that's all they have in common, De Sardet is small and shy and self conscious, Drabbles I guess, Gen, Hero Worship, Hust and Comfort, M/M, More tags to be added, Romantic Relationships are eventual ones and more referenced, Small kids with big imaginations, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:34:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23401567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Afixxia/pseuds/Afixxia
Summary: Nicolas de Sardet has always been too self-conscious and afraid of people to make many friends. He'd be quite comfortable living his life hiding behind his mother's skirts, thank you very much.Constantin didn't get the memo.
Relationships: Constantin d'Orsay & De Sardet, De Sardet/Vasco (GreedFall)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Of Heroes and Villains

Nicolas pulled a face, leaning back in an attempt to escape his mother's grasp as she chased him yet again with her hankie. Leonora de Sardet didn't seem to mind his squirming, however, humming fondly to herself as she finally managed to get at whatever minuscule scrap of dirt had managed to earn her offence. 

"There's my handsome little boy, so much like your father you are," she crooned delightedly, cupping the 9-year-old's chubby cheeks in her hands. "You're going to have all the young ladies in there tripping over each other for a chance to dance with you."

Her son's resistance had halted once the rough scrubbing of saliva-damp cloth had turned into his mother's warm affection. At her words, however, his fingers twitched by his side, and he would've brought a hand up to cover the mark from which stemmed all his woes if his adoring mother hadn't already had a hand there. He said nothing, not trusting himself to say something that wouldn't cause his mother distress.

For the next hour, Nicolas was stuck to his mother like glue, clinging to the back of her dress anxiously as she swept gracefully around the ballroom. She drew the gazes of a wide variety of diplomats and nobles, dealing with them with pleasantry and tact that he couldn't quite wrap his head around, even with her child hanging off of her like a dead weight.

Eventually, his mother pulled him close to her side, gesturing to a girl standing a little way away.

"That girl's name is Elouise. She's the daughter of one of the ambassadors from Thélème and if all goes well, your future fiancée." Leonora sounded excited as she spoke, but Nicolas frowned in confusion as he stared at the girl.

"What's a fiancée?" The question was ignored as his mother fussed about with his clothes, ensuring he was presentable.

"You need to go and ask her to dance with you," she told him, turning him around to face the girl and gently pushing him in her direction. "Go on now my Little Nicki. Don't be shy. You're going to know this girl your whole life. She'll just adore you if you let her get to know you as I do, I promise."

Nicolas slowly made his way over to the girl, fingers clutching at the hem of his shirt in anxiety. She only looked to be a year or so older than him, talking to some other girls around the same age. The conversation petered out as he approached, the girls turning to stare at him. He tried not to think about how their stares so closely matched the disgusted expression his uncle had reserved for the stray dog that had followed him around for about a month the year before. Eventually, the prince had finally had enough and shot the poor creature. The echoing gunshot had haunted Nicolas's nightmares for months afterwards. 

"Will you dance with me?" he blurted through the dense fog of anxiety at the girl his mother had pointed out. His hands twisted in the soft silk of his shirt and he pretended he didn't notice the horror with which they stared at the mark on his face.

His cheeks burned as the girls laughed, Elouise's face scrunching in disgust.

"Of course not," she practically spat, drawing in closer to the other girls as if to find safety in numbers to escape his presence.

"Um, okay." Nicolas could feel tears pricking at his eyes, but he knew better than to let them fall here, in front of so many people. And then, because his mother had taught him to be polite even when somebody was cruel to you - "thank you. Goodbye."

The girls' laughter chased after him as he turned and walked back to his mother as quickly as he could without running. He hugged her tightly, hiding his face in her stomach, trying to keep the tears from flowing as she held him, running her fingers through his hair.

"I don't care how her father begs, that girl shan't have you. Oh, my poor, sweet Little Nicki I'm so sorry. I'm here now; I have you."

Leonora's steady stream of rambling comforts did wonders in soothing him as she swayed them both gently in time to music he could barely hear over the rush of humiliation and self-loathing in his ears. It was a tap on his back that drew him from his thoughts.

"You're Nicolas, aren't you?" He vaguely recognised the voice from an official introduction only a few months before, but he didn't give the other boy an answer. He didn't want to see the way his face would twist in the inevitable disgust he would feel at the sight of him. When he didn't respond, a small hand gently tugged at his arm. "I'm Constantin. I'm your cousin!"

The announcement was made with such excitement that Nicolas couldn't help but look up, first to his mother for guidance. Emboldened by her soft smile and encouraging nod, he slowly turned to face his cousin.

Constantin d'Orsay had the brightest smile of anyone he'd ever seen, and it only grew wider as the princeling gained his full attention. His shirt was only half-tucked, his hair a mess, and he was covered in crumbs - not all of them from the half-eaten cake he clutched in his hand. Even as he watched, however, the 7-year-old's smile fell, and he automatically held his mother a little tighter.

"Nicolas? Why are you crying?"

Constantin's question caught him entirely off-guard, and he had to stare at him for a few moments. He'd assumed their brief first meeting had been a fluke, but the younger boy still didn't seem to be reacting to the much-hated mark upon his face. His bright green eyes eventually flicked over to the flock of girls, still huddled nearby and casting disdainful glances in his direction. His cousin followed his gaze, staring at the girls expressionlessly for a few moments before wandering over to them.

"My Auntie Leonora says that if you make someone sad, you have to say sorry." Nicolas couldn't hear Elouise's response, but he could see the way her face twisted into a scowl, and the way Constantin's shoulders tensed. "You made my cousin cry!"

And with that, the cake had found its way onto her head, smeared into golden hair, and Constantin was back by his side, that massive gap-toothed grin once more in place.

"Auntie Leonora, this party is boring. Can Nicolas and I go and play, please?"

His mother was still chuckling as she gave her consent, and Nicolas was too stunned to resist as Constantin grabbed his hand and dragged him away across the crowded ballroom. He stared at his cousin, and all he could see was one of those golden-haired hero princes from the stories his mother had told him.

He didn't know where they were going, but right now, he felt he would be content to follow him anywhere.


End file.
